


Ocean Eyes

by Meepigiri



Category: RWBY
Genre: First scene is heavily edited but everything past that isn't edited at all, Jaune isn't actually present he's just mentioned a lot, M/M, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, Neptune is an oblivious idiot, Poetry, Trans!Sun, a little bit of angst but not really, background monochrome, oh my god they were roommates, past blacksun if you squint, past one-sided iceberg, so?? no beta we die like men??, they're both oblivious idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23786974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meepigiri/pseuds/Meepigiri
Summary: Sun catches Neptune writing a love poem- Naturally, Neptune panics and claims he has a crush on Jaune. Weiss has a good laugh, Blake puts up with a drunk Sun, and Neptune confronts his fear of water. Well, at least he tries to.In other words: They're idiots and monochrome puts up with their dumbasses for 20 pages.
Relationships: Neptune Vasilias/Sun Wukong
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43





	Ocean Eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [grimsparkblue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/grimsparkblue/gifts).



> This isn't actually inspired by Billie Eilish's song but it makes for a nice title so you know. We vibing.
> 
> Dedicated to Grimsparkblue!! I absolutely adore their fic "The Next Chapter of Our Lives" and I wanted to write them some dumb fluff as a thank-you for writing that masterpiece. If you haven't read that, please do, I'm literally begging you. It's the best fic ever. 
> 
> This took like a month to write and I should probably edit it more but god I'm just so ready to be done. So!! yeah take it

Sun found Neptune deeply submerged in the depths of his own writing.

Sun was familiar with the sight, a scene he had come across a million times before. Papers were scattered all over the desk and books piled far too high for Sun’s liking. In fact, there were way too many books in the room; multiple bookshelves lined the walls and books were crammed in every possible opening. He had barely managed to convince Neptune to not turn their room into a library.

Sun figured that he should have expected it the moment he let an English major be his roommate. 

While the option would have been incredibly easy, the two had decided against splitting their room. Their choice resulted in some questionable decor, with band posters tacked on the walls next to hanging plants, and action figures constantly fighting on top of textbooks. Sun had wanted to hang up a surf poster, claiming that it would have been illegal for him not to, since he worked part-time as a lifeguard. However, it was the one thing that Neptune stubbornly refused to let him put on their wall. Instead it hung out under Sun’s bed, rolled up and taped shut. 

Their beds were on opposite sides of the room, with a desk and nightstands lining the wall between them. The window above the desk made it convenient for Sun when he felt like using it instead of the door. Although it was not convenient for Neptune, whose studies often were interrupted by such entrances.

So yeah, it was chaos. 

But it was _their_ chaos, and he absolutely loved it. 

Sun shrugged his bag off of his shoulders and hopped up on his bed, silently watching Neptune scribble away at the papers, a small smile playing on his lips as he observed. He made out a few words- something about an ocean of sorts- but he pushed it to the back of his mind. Instead, he found himself thinking about the undivided attention Neptune gave his notebook. Hell, he hadn’t even noticed Sun’s presence yet- but he couldn’t bring himself to announce it. He rarely saw Neptune this way, and he wanted to etch every aspect of it in his mind before it ran away.

It had been months since Sun initially fell for Neptune, and for months had the confession remained in his throat, seemingly stuck for an eternity. There were too many things that he wanted to say- so many things that he wanted Neptune to see about himself, so many things that he could never find the time to say. He studied the boy as though he were the most interesting thing he had ever laid his eyes upon, and such a metaphor wouldn’t be far from the truth. Neptune was definitely the most attractive thing he had seen- all of his features seemingly perfect, as though the gods themselves had created the embodiment of beauty. But that wasn’t why he liked Neptune. Loving Neptune felt as natural as breathing air - it felt like something that he was just _meant_ to do, something that required no explanation or reasoning. And yet Sun could think of a million reasons why he felt the way he did, and the evening light filtering in through the blinds reinforced them. 

Orange and pink tones danced across Neptune’s skin, painting him like a canvas, softly complimenting the blue of his eyes. Sun wondered what those eyes were so trained on, and what had captured his attention so completely. He wondered if he would ever be able to hold his attention in such a way- whether he could make Neptune forget about everything that plagued his mind. A part of Sun wanted that more than anything. He wanted to be something that Neptune could never get enough of, someone that he trusted, someone that he… 

Sun dared to think about such a scenario for a moment, and he felt his heart flip so many times that it would’ve won the olympics. 

But at last, his curiosity got the better of him, the question spilling from his lips before he could stop it.

“Whatcha got there, Neptune?” 

Neptune reacted instantly, nearly jumping out of his seat, hands rushing to hide his writing. His face turned a deep shade of crimson that rivaled the color of his jacket, and Sun couldn’t help the chuckle that came out of him. “Sun! Jesus fuck!” The blue haired boy cursed. He glared at the faunus, but it didn’t take very long for his expression to soften. “...How long have you been there?”

“Just a few minutes. Although I bet I could’ve sat there for the rest of the night and you wouldn’t have known,” Sun mused, slipping off of the bed and walking up to Neptune. He tilted his head, trying to get a better look at what he was working on. “What’s this about danger?” He squinted, plucking a random sentence off of the paper. “Eyes deep blue like the ocean, that one could-”

“Oh! It’s nothing,” Neptune practically slammed the notebook shut before Sun could continue reading. “It’s something for my creative writing class.”

“You sure about that?” Sun raised an eyebrow, taking in Neptune’s stiff posture and guarded expression. He quickly came to the conclusion that it was more than a creative writing assignment. He moved to sit on the desk, not quite in front of Neptune, his leg brushing against the chair. “Seriously, dude, what’s up with you? You’re so tense,” He asked, his tail lazily wrapping around Neptune’s wrist. “You got your eyes on someone or something?”

Sun didn’t think that Neptune’s face could turn a deeper shade of red, but it seemed as though the boy was full of surprises.

“I- I do not, no, of course not, why would I- I mean, uhm, uh, doesn’t everyone?” Neptune stammered, mentally grasping at straws. “I don’t, um, see why you uh, would, think so? Why are you- uh, when did I ever...give off the impression?”

“Literally everything you said just now, dude. So, who’s the lucky person you’re dedicating a whole love poem to?” Sun let out a small laugh, his curiosity once again overpowering his self control. He knew that he shouldn’t pry into Neptune’s personal business, especially about such private matters. _Especially_ when he doubted whether he wanted to hear the answer to the question.

Hell, Sun hadn’t even been serious with his question. He merely meant to tease the poor boy, but now he was a stuttering mess. An _absolutely adorable_ stuttering mess. 

“I, uh, I don’t… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Neptune looked away, tugging at the collar of his undershirt desperately. “I’m not writing about anyone in particular … and it’s not a love poem! I don’t, um, write love poems. Or do love. Or any of that.” 

“...Says the guy who has flirted with nearly everyone at Beacon.”

“Hey! I haven’t-” Neptune began to protest, pausing as he realized that the statement was likely true. He brushed the intruding tail off of himself as he stood up, walking over to the coffee machine across the room. A quick glance down at the desk told Sun that Neptune didn’t need any more coffee, and that the machine was doing nothing more but providing a distraction. “Okay. Maybe I have. But that doesn’t mean that I like anyone,”

“Mm. Sure,” Sun rolled his eyes. “And I’m not a faunus… Look, Neptune, I wanna help you out. Being your wingman has been my job for the last few years and I’m sure as hell not giving up now. And besides, I’m gonna figure it out eventually. How many people with ‘ocean blue eyes’ do we know?”

“I...I don’t know?”

“There’s Weiss,”

“I would describe her eyes as more of an icy blue-”

“There’s Nora,”

“You know she’s practically married to Ren,”

“There’s you.”

“Sun, please, I’m not _that_ full of myself-”

“There’s Jaune,”

“uh-”

Sun didn’t let him finish, forcing the words out of his throat before he could think better of it. Because there was only one other person that they knew; one other person that it could possibly be. 

“...And there’s me.”

A heavy silence followed, the weight of it pressing down on Sun’s shoulders. He averted his eyes as his face burned hot with shame. He shouldn’t have pried so much in the first place- it was Neptune’s business, not his. He didn’t have the right to pressure Neptune into telling him, whether they were best friends or not. He probably thought he was crazy- because really, only a lunatic would have the audacity to ask his best friend of five years if they had a crush on him. 

Sun opened his mouth to apologize, but Neptune’s voice broke the silence first.

“...You’re right. I…” Neptune paused, but Sun didn’t dare meet his gaze. “...I have a crush on Jaune.” 

_Jaune_.

Sun didn’t know that a single name could hurt so much- a single syllable, a single beat, muttered so effortlessly. He wanted to curse the universe for inventing such a thing, for making his heart so weak that it shattered under the force of a single word. He knew that he didn’t have the right to feel the way he did- Neptune had absolutely no obligation to return his feelings. Hell, Neptune wasn’t even _aware_ of those feelings. But no matter how many times he begged his heart to stop singing a song of hopeless love, his feelings remained.

Their friendship was a careful balance, and the two treaded with utmost care, not wanting to tip the scale. They walked the tightrope everyday, the two of them kept upright by unearthed confessions and doubt. It was a scenario that Sun was all too familiar with, a rope that he had once walked with Blake, before realizing that he had perfected his balance all too well. But this was different. Danger had made itself apparent; for Sun had already fallen- and it was only a matter of when Neptune would notice. 

Now, he found himself watching Neptune keep his balance effortlessly, as though it were never a challenge in the first place. 

Sun wondered what would happen if Neptune noticed.

Sometimes, he wished he did.

And sometimes, he almost pointed it out himself.

But he couldn’t do that, especially now. He had entertained the idea many times in the past, wondering how Neptune would react to such a confession. The thought plagued him most nights as of late, and Sun would often indulge himself in thoughts of what they would be like together. He imagined that it wouldn’t be too different from what they had now, considering how often the two talked and how much physical contact they had already. Although it wasn’t quite the same, since best friends didn’t make out with each other. 

Occasionally, these thoughts would carry over into his dreams- and they were the best dreams that he ever had. 

But now, that was all that they would be. Dreams, and nothing more. 

Sun loathed the way that he felt right now, hated the way that Neptune’s words twisted his heart so painfully. He hated how he had been so naive, thinking that the boy would ever think of Sun as anything more than a friend. He hated how he had fantasized about it for so long, how he had grasped onto the hope so stubbornly. Hope that had led him to the discovery that love was a force fueled by ignorance.

He hated how he was mourning the loss of something that never belonged to him in the first place.

“...Jaune, huh?” Sun managed to get out, glancing up at Neptune and forcing a small smile. “You’re writing a love poem for him?”

“Yeah...but it’s just a stupid poem… It doesn’t mean anything… At least, it probably won’t to him.” Neptune replied, his hands having long abandoned the distraction the coffee maker had provided. Instead, they tugged gently at the hem of his jacket- a nervous habit that Sun was all too familiar with, reinforced by the soft note of anxiety held in his voice. The note tugged at Sun’s heart and beckoned him forward; Before he knew it, he moved over to Neptune and gently took his hands in his own.

“Hey. You don’t know that,” Sun reassured. “I’m sure that it’ll mean something to him, especially if you’re working so hard on it. This poem is pretty important to you, right? So I bet it’ll be important to him too. And if it isn’t…” He paused, swallowing his jealousy before it could spill from his throat. “...then I don’t think he’s worth crushin’ on.”

“I...I guess. But-”

“No buts,” Sun cut him off, tapping him playfully on the nose with his tail. “I’m sure he’ll love it, Nep. It’s Jaune we’re talking about… Plus, you’re an awesome writer. Like...the best writer I’ve ever met. Which, okay, I haven’t exactly read a lot of books or met many writers...but uh…” Wow, this compliment was going downhill at an exponential rate. “You make me wanna actually read, okay? And you know how I am…”

Thankfully for Sun, Neptune took his awkward compliment well, bursting into a small fit of giggles. “Are you sure about that? That’s pretty high praise, considering your track record with books and libraries…”

“Hey! I thought we weren’t gonna talk about the bookcase incident ever again!” Sun feigned offense, stepping back from Neptune and pressing a hand to his chest. “You _promised_.”

“Yeah, and _you_ promised that we weren’t ever gonna talk about the flower incident either, but you _had_ to embarrass me in front of everyone last night-”

“I said I was sorry!” 

“Your apologies don’t make up for how much everyone laughed their asses off. Even _Jaune_ laughed at me. Jaune, of all people!” Neptune threw up his hands in an exasperated gesture. “I’m pretty sure he did the same thing too. Who would’ve thought Weiss was allergic…”

Sun found himself giggling alongside Neptune. He had seen the whole thing- Neptune awkwardly offering Weiss flowers, who took the bouquet out of courtesy, only for her to end up in a sneezing fit. Neptune beat himself up about it for days afterwards. Thankfully, Weiss seemed to appreciate the sentiment- even going as far as asking him out on a date a week later. Neptune had turned down the offer, and a year later, Sun still couldn’t fathom why.

“It’s kind of funny, I think,” Sun offered. “How both you and Jaune were fighting over Weiss a year ago… and now you’ve got a crush on _him_. How the tables have turned, hm?”

“Oh...I...I guess so,” Neptune replied sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. “I guess I...realized I was chasing after the wrong person the whole time.” 

Sun nodded, and didn’t say anything more about it. While he wanted to support Neptune, he wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of talking about his crush. _Maybe...Maybe in a few days. I need time to get my head on straight. Time to get over this._

He knew that he wasn’t going to get over this in a matter of days- or weeks, even. But he’d be damned if he didn’t at least try.

“Uh… We should probably head down for dinner, shouldn’t we?” Neptune changed the topic, much to Sun’s relief. “Sage and Scarlet are probably waiting on us already.” 

“Oh! Right-” Sun stole a glance at the clock. It told Sun that he had ten minutes until six, but he knew they needed most of it to walk to their apartment. “We gotta get going. Scarlet will murder us if we’re late. Or maybe just me. Since this whole...eating together thing was my idea.” 

“Pfft,” Neptune chuckled, moving over to the door and swinging it open. “We can’t let that happen, can we? I need you around to help pay the bills.” 

“Really, dude? You don’t keep me around for my company?” Sun pouted, and Neptune let out a laugh as he pushed the faunus out the door. “I’m offended. And here I thought we were best friends.”

“Hmmm. I might be friends with you. But only if you stop coming through the window when I’m studying!”

“Whaaat?” Sun huffed. “No way! It’s so fun bein’ on the roof! And besides, climbing the walls is so much better than taking the stairs-”

“Uh, it’s not fun when you’re stepping on my homework.” 

“Well, then maybe you shouldn’t be studying so often,” Sun stuck out his tongue, and Neptune rolled his eyes in response. “Maybe if you weren’t such a _nerd_ -”

“I am _not_ a nerd, Sun! I’m an intellectual!”

“Yeah, sure, whatever makes you sleep at night.”

Neptune scoffed, shoving Sun’s face away. “Shush already. And hurry up, before Scarlet hunts _both_ of us down!” 

“Sheesh! Okay, okay, I’m coming!”

___________________

A week later, Neptune sat at a cafe table, his face buried in his hands.

The last week had been the most painful week he had ever experienced. He barely talked to Sun at all, the two exchanging brief glances and awkward smiles. The two used practically every excuse they could to not talk to each other- hell, Sun had suddenly become extremely invested in his grades. Not that it wasn’t a _bad_ thing, but… You know. It’s Sun. 

It was Neptune’s fault, really. He was the one who originally avoided him, afraid that the truth would come out if he dared spend more than a minute around Sun. He couldn’t let that happen, especially after that conversation. Especially since he hadn’t been done yet. He wasn’t quite sure why Sun was avoiding him too, but he couldn’t blame him. He probably just got the memo and tried to make Neptune’s life easier. 

God, he should apologize. 

He expressed his woes to Weiss, his most trusted confidant, and also one of the most ruthless people he had ever met. She definitely didn’t pull any punches in her criticism of his behavior. 

“Oh-Oh my goodness- Neptune! You’re _joking!”_

Weiss sat across from him, laughing as though she had never heard anything so funny. Neptune looked up to see her nearly _crying_ , and his face heated up in shame. “I...I wish I was…”

“Neptune-” Weiss tried to speak, but she couldn’t stop laughing for the life of her. Eventually she managed to quiet down and get some words out. “You dolt. You absolute idiot! Why would you say that?!”

“Well-I- I couldn’t _tell_ him!” Neptune grumbled, crossing his arms. “And what else could I do? He kept pressuring me to tell him… It wasn’t the right time, Weiss. I… I had to get myself more time.” 

“By telling him you have a crush on _Jaune_?” 

Neptune averted his eyes. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t one of his best ideas. But he was in a tight situation and he couldn’t think of anything else to say at the time. Confessing had been completely out of the question- there were too many what if’s, too many things that could have gone wrong. The mood hadn’t been set, he hadn’t practiced any lines in the mirror, and he probably looked like a gigantic mess, and- and Sun deserved better than that. If Neptune was going to drop something like that on him, he deserved to have it done properly. 

“I..I didn’t know what else to do, okay?!” He sighed. “It’s not like I could bail and tell him that I had a thing for you… He already knows that whole story. Or part of it, aha...And he wouldn’t have believed me if I said I didn’t like anyone.”

“Right… So what are you gonna do now? You’ve been avoiding him for the last week...Do you still plan on confessing?” Weiss raised an eyebrow. “Or are you going to keep avoiding it like you have for the last year?” 

Neptune winced at the question, but she was right. He had been avoiding it for a year now- hell, probably more than that. He had realized his feelings for Sun a long time ago, but kept them locked away in fear of ruining their relationship. He knew that Sun had a thing for Blake a while back, and so he tried to get over it by being with other people too. Weiss had been one of those people, unfortunately. 

Neptune shamelessly flirted with most of the people in the school, but he had only really gotten anywhere with Weiss. He still felt bad about it a year later, even though she had long since forgiven him. He tried- he really, really did- to like her, to see her as more than a friend, but by all the gods he couldn’t. And it wasn’t her, he knew. Weiss was extraordinary, and maybe in another world, a world without Sun, he could have returned her feelings. But he didn’t, and he couldn’t change that. 

At first, it was awful. She was furious with him, and rightfully so- yelled at him an awful lot, glared at him whenever she saw him, avoided him like the plague. He deserved it- only a douchebag would use someone like that. She only gave him a second chance after he promised that he would never do that to _anyone_ ever again. It was a promise that he intended to keep for the rest of his life. 

The two grew close again, but this time as friends. She became his most trusted confidant- and they ended up telling each other nearly everything that happened to them these days. Neptune found that he quite enjoyed having her as a friend rather than a love interest, and ridiculed himself for not pursuing this kind of relationship sooner. 

Neptune had long given up trying to run from his feelings by pretending to be interested in other people, although it wasn’t easy. Many nights had he stayed awake, thinking of what could be, or what could happen if he dared to tell Sun the truth. But never did he have the courage to vocalize them. He refused to take that risk, played it safe for over a year, and it was one of the most painful things he had ever done. 

Recently, he had enough of it. He hated lying to Sun, hated avoiding all of his feelings, hating that he was keeping something so important from his best friend. So he decided he would confess- decided that he’d tell Sun everything, even if he got rejected, even if Sun didn’t feel the same way. He had to, or else he was going to go insane. 

At least… that was the plan. And then yesterday happened, and now Sun thought that he liked Jaune. 

“I still want to tell him,” Neptune responded slowly. “It uh...might be a bit more complicated now, I guess. I mean...what if he gets mad at me for lying to him? Or.. or what if he doesn’t want to be friends with me anymore? Or what if-”

“Hey. Stop with that nonsense,” Weiss cut him off. She reached across the table, taking one of Neptune’s hands and squeezing it. He averted his gaze, not wanting to see the disappointment in her eyes. “Remember a few months back, when I wanted to confess to Blake?”

“Y...yeah. I do,” 

“And you told me that I should tell her, no matter what, because there was no way that she was going to stop being friends with me because of it? And that if she did, she wasn’t worth my time anyway?”

“...Yeah.”

“And remember how that when I did tell her, Blake called me an idiot for ever thinking that she didn’t feel the same way?”

“I was there for that-”

“Right.” Weiss let out a quiet laugh. “And do you remember… that you told me that I was so, so stupid for being so worried, and that you knew everything was going to work out?”

“Well, I dunno if I phrased it like that-”

“The point is, Neptune,” She paused, her tone commanding him to meet her gaze. “I think it’s about time that you take your own advice. You know that Sun won’t ever stop being friends with you because of this. Sun is better than that. And Sun’s a big, stupid idiot if he doesn’t realize how absolutely _lucky_ he is to have you.”

Neptune remained quiet for a bit, letting her words sink in. Ultimately, she was right. Sun wasn’t worth his time if he ended their friendship over this- which, he definitely wasn’t going to do. He knew Sun for _years_ \- and he knew him better than anyone. Sun would never do something like that. Although, even if he did, Neptune knew he wouldn’t be mad at him. He’d do everything he could to get him back, as foolish as it would be. 

He looked back up at Weiss, and a feeling of gratitude flooded him. He was extremely lucky to have someone like her to support him- hell, he knew he didn’t deserve it, especially after what he did to her. He questioned why she was sitting here right now, hearing him out, listening to him ramble about his stupid love life. He didn’t know why she bothered with him at all. God knows he wasn’t worth it.

“By the brothers, Neptune, why are you crying?”

Weiss’ voice snapped him back to reality, and he realized with a bit of a start that he was, indeed, crying. “Oh, fuck, sorry-” he apologized, reaching up to wipe his face with his sleeve. “I didn’t… I don’t know. I mean- I don’t… I don’t deserve you, Weiss. I’m sorry…” 

“This again?” Weiss asked, but her voice lacked any real annoyance or anger. “I already told you a million times; You’re fine, and I’m here because I wanna be. You’re one of my best friends. Don’t be ridiculous, okay?”

“But- I- you’re… so sweet?” He sniffed, desperately trying to get a hold of himself. He wasn’t exactly one to cry, especially over something like this, and _especially_ in public. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m so...emotional? I don’t know why I’m crying right now, really.”

“First of all, thank you,” Weiss let out a laugh. “Second of all… I’m flattered that you’re crying because I’m so nice or whatever, but it’s not worth the tears. I only told you as it was. You have to confess to Sun- you’ve been keeping it in for a year, and it’s about time that you were honest with him.”

“Yeah- yeah… you… you’re right. I should. I really should,” Neptune nodded. “Actually- um. I’ll.. I'll text him right now.”

“Wait- you can’t do it over text, you dolt!”

“No, no! I wanna ask him to meet up tomorrow.” Neptune clarified, letting out a small laugh as Weiss’ horrified expression shifted to one of surprise. He fished his phone out of his pocket, pulling up Sun’s contact. _Alright, Neptune. Just ask him to talk. It’s no big deal…_

He sent the text before he could psyche himself out of it. 

_Hey, dude._

_Do you want to hang out tomorrow?_

Sun’s reply came a few seconds later.

_sure_

_u mean w/ the guys?_

_Just us_

_It’s been a while since we hung out you know?_

_Since I was so busy with homework…_

Right. Because he totally hasn’t been avoiding being alone with Sun for the last week. He definitely hasn’t been avoiding Sun because of their conversation. No, not at all. 

_ya_

_what do u wanna do?_

_play video games?_

_Nah. I wanna go out and get some air_

_I don’t really know what to do though_

_I’m open to ideas?_

_uh_

_idk_

_we could get some food or smth_

_theres this rly good restaurant nearby_

_its a vacuan bbq place_

_its p good_

_I was thinking abt taking u there anyway_

_Really? I’m surprised I haven’t heard you gush about it yet._

_only discovered it like 2 weeks ago_

_lol_

_so u in or nah?_

_Yeah_

_It’s a date._

Neptune had sent the message without a second thought, and now, he stared at it in horror. “Weiss! Weiss, WHY DID I SAY THAT?!” He cried, shoving the phone into her hands. She took a moment to read it over before bursting out into a fit of giggles. 

“Quit freaking out, you idiot. Everyone says that. You’re overthinking it.”

“I said it’s a _date_. What if he takes it seriously and thinks it’s an actual date and-”

“Would he be wrong?”

“I-” Neptune stopped, thinking it over. He asked Sun to hang out with the intention of confessing to him… Oh no. It was totally a date. He asked Sun out on a date. “Oh my god. I just did that.”

“Yeah. You did.”

“Weiss, I did that! I asked Sun out on a date! Wait, does he even know it’s a date? Should it be one? I mean, we’re only friends-”

“Neptune, for the love of god, calm down.” Weiss gave him a meaningful look. “You’ve got to get your head on straight…”

“You’re right. I should start rehearsing-”

“Rehearsing?”

“Duh! I have to know what to say, and how to say it, because this has to be _perfect_. He deserves the best. Even if he doesn’t like me. I- I’ve gotta go write some stuff down-” Neptune rambled, suddenly standing up and swinging his bag on his shoulders. “Sorry Weiss, I’ll talk to you later! I gotta go!” 

“Neptune- Wait! I still-” Weiss reached out to him, but before she could do anything, he was already out the door. 

“...Have your phone…” 

___________________

“Sun, please. Put the drink down.” 

Blake reached over to him, gently taking the glass from his hands. He didn’t even try to stop her, knowing that it was better this way, and watched her as she took a seat next to him.

Sun had sent her a flurry of texts, asking her over and over again to hang out with him, claiming that he missed her and that she was the only one who could make him happy. It was blatantly obvious from the texts alone that he was drunk, but Sun had confirmed it by telling her that he was in a nightclub. She found him sitting at the bar, sipping some unidentifiable, bright blue liquid. The smell told her that it was definitely alcohol.

“You don’t even _like_ alcohol. What’s up with you?”

“Lots of things. Honestly, what _isn’t_ up with me these days?” 

“Sun.” Blake sighed. “I know you’re upset about Neptune, but-”

“I’m not,” Sun cut her off sharply. “I’m not … upset over that. I shouldn’t be, anyway. He- He’s… a stupid, idiot, player that I never should have liked in the first place. I don’t even know _why_ I liked him in the first place! Him and his dumb, handsome face, that doesn’t even have the audacity to reply to me.” Blake gave him a confused expression, and he slid his phone over, showing her a long series of texts to Neptune. “He didn’t even _open_ them, Blake. He avoided me for an entire week, made plans with me, and then refused to even acknowledge my existence afterwards. I probably don’t mean anything to him. He’s...he’s so… so mean. He could at least tell me that he doesn’t want to be around me…” 

“...How many of these did you drink, Sun?”

“It’s all my fault anyway,” Sun continued as though she never spoke at all. “I shouldn’t have been so nosy...No wonder he doesn’t want to talk to me. He thinks I’m gonna interrogate him about everything now, I bet. And… and he’s right. I’m just some...weird, stupid nobody. I’m so dumb, Blake. I can’t believe I thought he would _ever_ like me… I’m an awful best friend,” he stopped, looking around for his drink, before remembering that Blake had confiscated it. He flagged down the bartender to order another one. 

“Sun, you’re not a stupid nobody. What are you talking about?” Blake paused to answer the bartender before Sun could, asking for a glass of water. Sun looked absolutely devastated, but didn’t argue. “And you’re not an awful best friend. If Neptune was here, he’d say the same thing.” 

“If- If I’m… Such a good best friend, then why is he _ignoring me_?”

“...Maybe he’s busy?” 

“Yeah...maybe. Busy with other people. He’s probably making out with Jaune right about now-”

“You don’t know that.” 

“Well you don’t either!” Sun huffed, eyeing the glass of water suspiciously as Blake slid it over to him. She urged him to drink, and he reluctantly complied. It made him feel a little better, but it didn’t make him feel any less betrayed. “I mean, Neptune is so- so _perfect_. He could...he could get anyone he wanted, I bet. Jaune would be an absolute idiot not to like him back… stupid...jaune… What’s even so good about him?” 

“Sun-”

“You know what, I- I should ask him, right now. What gives him the right to be so...so fuckin’...handsome...and perfect...and who he thinks he is, for making me feel this way about him.” Sun reached over for his phone, which Blake quickly took away and kept out of his reach. “Give it back! I gotta text him, Blake. This is...really serious.”

“Nope. You are _not_ drunk texting your crush.”

“Blaaaaakeeee,” Sun pouted. “This isn’t fair… I only wanna ask him something. It’s all his fault anyway for making me fall in love with him.”

“If you really want to ask him, you can ask him when you’re sober.” She said pointedly. Sun gave her a pleading look, begging her silently, but to no avail. He sighed, reluctantly accepting that he wasn’t going to get his phone back anytime soon. 

“I don’t get it. What does Jaune have that… that I don’t?” Sun asked, desperately searching for some sort of answer. “What makes _him_ so…” he stopped, furrowing his brow as he tried to find the word, but ultimately gave up. He slumped his shoulders as he sadly took another sip of his water. “Maybe he’s just...really into the whole… typical nice guy thing Jaune has going on. Maybe I should...try being like him. All nice and dorky...and...human. Maybe...maybe it’s because I’m a faunus?”

“That’s ridiculous. You know Neptune doesn’t care about that.” 

“Yeah, yeah, that’s what he says… but who knows. He probably only said that because I offered him a cheap place to live. Wouldn’t be the first time someone played me like that.” He replied, his voice utterly dejected. “Or maybe he doesn’t like me because I’m- I’m not a real guy-” 

“Sun,” Blake cut him off sharply, for once not having the patience to let him finish that sentence. “Stop that, right now. You _are_ a real guy. And Neptune is leagues better than that, and you _know_ it. He’s already told you- and everyone else- that he couldn’t give a rats ass that you’re transgender.” Which, of course, was the only acceptable response. If Neptune _had_ judged Sun for such a thing, Blake would have personally whooped his ass. 

“...Yeah.” Sun sighed. “God, Blake- I .. I wish he would reply to me, that’s all. I dunno what I said but… I’d quite like to know… What did I do to make him decide that I’m not worth his time?”

Blake scooted her stool closer to Sun so that she could wrap an arm around him. He wrapped his tail around her waist in response- a gesture that he was so used to doing with Neptune that it was practically second nature. Blake looked down in surprise, but didn’t say anything about it, figuring that he was too drunk to realize he had done it at all.

“If you weren’t worth his time, then why would he make plans with you?” Blake pointed out. “He obviously wants to spend time with you. You’re his best friend, Sun. You mean a lot to him, even if he doesn’t like you... Which in all honesty, I doubt is the case.” 

“What makes ya say that?” 

“For one, Jaune has a girlfriend-” 

“Wait, wait, what? Since when? Who?” Sun cut her off, his expression shifting from shock to confusion. “No way...who would even...date such a loser…? Wait.” He stopped, his expression dropping as he remembered why he was here in the first place. “Neptune would, apparently.” 

“He got with Pyrrha a month ago, remember?”

Sun opened his mouth to say something else, but ended up not saying anything at all, the realization hitting him like a truck. He remained silent for a little bit. Now that she mentioned it, he _did_ remember hearing something about that a while ago. But since he didn’t talk to Jaune or Pyrrha that much, it had gone in one ear and out the other. “Oh...um...I guess. But … That doesn’t change the fact that Neptune likes him.”

Blake shook her head, deciding that it was better not to argue with him. There was no point in telling him any of this- he was too drunk, and would probably forget it in the morning anyway. Plus, he wouldn’t believe her if she told him that she knew exactly what was going on thanks to Weiss. 

“Right… Are you gonna tell me how many drinks you had?”

“I dunno. Um...six? Seven? I don’t remember,” Sun shrugged lazily. He removed himself from Blake, and used his tail to lift his glass. He attempted to take another drink out of it, only to find that it was empty. He set it back down on the counter in blatant disappointment. “Probably gonna have one hell of a hangover in the morning…”

“Probably. We should really get you home,” Blake slid off of the stool and took Sun’s hand. “Come on. You’ve spent enough time wallowing here.”

“Nooooo,” Sun whined. He attempted to resist her, but it didn’t take much for her to win. He heavily leaned against her, far too intoxicated to walk on his own. “I don’t wanna go home…anywhere but there, _please_ ,” He begged. “I don’t wanna face him yet.”

“You don’t know if he’s home...And if he is, he’s probably asleep. It’s nearly three AM.” 

“But what if he is?” Sun shook his head. “I can’t do it, Blake… He… He’s never seen me like this before, you know?” he said sadly. “He..He deserves better than um...this?” he gestured vaguely to himself. “He doesn’t deserve to deal with um… whatever I am… right now…”

“And I do?” Blake asked dryly. 

“Blaaake, nooo…” He frowned, and gently smacked her with his tail. “That’s not what I meant… but I’d rather have you deal with me than him… at least you’ll always forgive me. ‘N’ you’re not the guy I’m in love with. W-what if I say something stupid, you know? Like...w-...what if I confess to him when I’m drunk? That’d be awful,” 

“With the state you’re in now, I can definitely see that happening…”

“So awful,” Sun repeated. “But...um..more than anything, I think I’d like...end up crying, in front of him, and being super emotional, you know? I don’t wanna do that...because then I’d have to explain why I’m crying, and I can’t… I can’t tell him, Blake. He’d be so mad at me.” He stopped in his tracks, seemingly considering the possibility. “W..what if he’s already mad at me? And that’s why he’s avoiding me. And...and he wants to meet up tomorrow so he can yell at me, and tell me that he doesn’t want to be friends with me anymore.”

“Sun…” Blake gently nudged him. “You know he wouldn’t do that. Neptune is a good person,”

“He is, he really is,” Sun nodded, one, two, three times. “He’s so good, Blake. Way too good for me. I feel awful...feeling the way I do, you know? Cause I’d never deserve him, no matter what I did. I’m not right for him,” He continued to walk with Blake, and eventually, they made it to her car. After she made sure that he was properly seated with his seatbelt on, she closed the door and made her way to the other side. “Um...are you gonna make me go home?”

“No,” Blake gave him a teasing smile as she started the car. “We can’t have you making stupid decisions, afterall. You can stay with me tonight.”

She glanced over at Sun to see him with a huge, stupid grin on his face. She let out a small chuckle at the sight. Drunk people were pleased so easily. “Thanks… uh, and I’m sorry. For texting you and making you come out here for me so late. I didn’t know who else to text. The guys wouldn’t understand.”

“Yeah. Don’t mention it, okay?” 

“But- It really means a lot!” Sun insisted. “You’re a really good friend, and I like you a whole lot. And you always understand me and you’re so nice, and you’re um...you’re like, the bestest person ever.” He paused, furrowing his brows in thought. “Wait. okay. Maybe like, the second bestest person. I think Neptune beats you. But that’s only because I like him a whole lot. Even if he’s dumb and won’t answer my texts.”

“You’re a good person too, Sun. And the ‘second bestest’ to me too. Weiss has you beat,” Blake replied, and Sun’s face lit up as though he got a puppy for christmas. Blake raised an eyebrow as she caught his tail practically thumping against his seat. Wasn’t he supposed to be a monkey faunus? “I’m sure everything will work out tomorrow.”

“Mm. yeah...maybe you’re right.” Sun replied lazily. “Maybe he really does just wanna hang out…”

Sun was silent for the rest of the drive to Blake’s apartment, much to her relief. As much as she cared about Sun, she never was a fan of handling drunk people or hearing their rambles. Although when she stepped out of her car and opened the door for Sun, she realized that he had fallen asleep.

_Oh, great, I’m gonna have to carry him… and up all those stairs. Unless-_

Blake reached in her pocket, taking out her phone to make a quick call. “Hey, Yang. Sorry to wake you up, but do you think you could come downstairs? I’ve got a bit of a problem.”

___________________

“Neptune. You look _fine_ ,” Weiss insisted for the millionth time. “Seriously. It’s not like you’re getting married or something.”

“I- I know,” Neptune grumbled, pausing momentarily, only to resume pacing in his dormitory. His mind was racing, coming up with a million and one scenarios of how he was going to get rejected, and how he should respond to every single one of them. He had to say the right thing at the right time- he couldn’t afford to mess up. He didn’t leave room for mistakes in his meticulous planning the night before, and purposefully so. He wasn’t _going_ to make any mistakes. He couldn’t afford to- and if he did, he really didn’t deserve Sun in the first place. “I just, what if he says something I’m not prepared for? Like, what if he-”

“For god's sake- Neptune, stop.” Weiss stepped in front of him and gently grasped his forearm. “Quit with your planning, and quit freaking out. Relationships aren’t something you can plan and predict. Hell, isn’t that _why_ you like Sun so much?” She raised an eyebrow, and he shrunk away from her gaze. 

“No- I mean, yes. Of course it is. But he- He’s _too_ unpredictable, and I have no idea how he’s going to react to anything I might say. I don’t even know how _I’m_ gonna react. And I’m me!” Neptune threw up his hands in exasperation. He stepped away from her, stopping in front of the mirror. “This has to be perfect, Weiss. It’s what he deserves.” He emphasized, reaching up to adjust his tie. 

“What about _you_?”

Neptune froze. “...What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean, Neptune.” She shook her head. “You have to think about yourself too. What _you_ deserve, and what _you_ want. Quite frankly, I think you deserve more than a man who drives you this crazy.”

“But, I-” He frowned, turning back to face her. “That’s the thing, Weiss. He drives me absolutely _insane_ \- and I _love_ it. I’ve never met anyone else who’s managed to uh, make me so…”

“Stupid? Dopey? Brain dead?”

“...Not how I would have worded it, but essentially, yeah.” Neptune chuckled, leaning back against the wall. “I know it’s crazy, and a lot different than what you have with Blake but… I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I would do anything to be around him, or to speak to him or…To be with him, as selfish as that sounds.” 

“It isn’t selfish. Having feelings is perfectly fine… But…” Weiss sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked him up and down, as though she were calculating his rate of success. She tilted her head as her gaze finally settled on his face. “You know, when I first met you, you were a lot different from this. You were so…cool, and flirty, and had so much confidence that it rivaled Yang’s.” Neptune raised an eyebrow as if to ask, _Are you saying I’m not cool nowadays?_ She didn’t bother to acknowledge his silent question- they both knew the answer to it anyway. 

“The point is- you’re freaking out a lot over a guy that I’m pretty sure is heads over heels for you too. You have to bring that old Neptune back. Be cool, be confident- because there’s nothing to worry about.” Weiss reached over, placing a hand over Neptune’s chest. “You don’t need all of these plans. Just follow your heart and see what happens.” 

“That...I...I guess you have a point,” Neptune admitted, running a hand through his hair as he considered her words. Be cool. Be confident. Quit being a total freak and ask him out like a normal person… And while he doubted that he was ‘heads over heels’ for him like she said, the thought was enough to make his heart do countless flips in his chest. “Right...Okay. I can do that. All I gotta do is be honest.” 

“Mhm.” Weiss stepped back, gesturing towards the door. “Now get going already. He’ll be here any minute.” 

As if on cue, Neptune’s phone buzzed with a notification:

_yo_

_im outside_

“That was him,” Neptune let out a small sigh of relief, moving past Weiss to open up the door. “Guess it’s show time. Uh… I promise I’ll text you and tell you what happens.” 

“You better.” Weiss gave him a teasing smile. “Don’t forget your phone somewhere this time.” 

“Ugh. Don’t remind me.” 

They both let out a laugh at that.

“Cya later, Snow angel.” 

“Neptune, wait,” Weiss stopped him before he closed the door. He gave her a curious look over his shoulder- for once, she seemed at a loss for words.

“...Good luck.”

“Pfft. When have I ever needed luck to get what I want?” Neptune winked, and Weiss rolled her eyes in response. The rhetorical question was reassuring to her- it was all the evidence she needed to know that he would be fine. 

Neptune made his way down the complex stairs in record time, heaven forbid that he keep Sun waiting a moment longer than necessary. He couldn’t seem to get out of the building fast enough, nearly tripping over his own two feet as he walked out the door. Daylight hit his face, and he raised a hand to cover his eyes out of habit. It was a rather warm day- and he found that he wore a bit too much for it, but that was nothing new. Hot weather never stopped him from wearing so many layers before. 

“Hey! Neptune!” 

Sun’s voice rang across the parking lot, and Neptune’s gaze looked over to the source, finding the faunus waiting on the other side. Neptune felt a grin spread across his face- He probably looked stupid, but he didn’t care. He quickly made his way across the lot, practically skipping his way over to Sun.

Neptune tilted his head a little, getting a closer look at his best friend. He wasn’t wearing anything out of the ordinary- just an unbuttoned shirt and some jeans- but he couldn’t have looked any more stunning. Neptune wasn’t sure why Sun was suddenly a million times more attractive. Maybe it was the lighting- or maybe it was because Neptune had a perfect view of Sun’s abs. Probably the latter, since he could always appreciate someone with a good physique. 

“Hey,” Sun repeated, and Neptune’s gaze snapped back to his face. A sly smile played across Sun’s lips. “You see something you like?”

“Maybe I do,” Neptune replied, not missing a beat. “Whatcha gonna do about it?”

“By the brothers, you have no shame, do you?” Sun shook his head, but his smile never faded. “Can’t say I blame you. I _am_ one of Remnant’s most eligible bachelors, afterall.” 

“Ha! As if,” Neptune playfully shoved the faunus, who stuck his tongue out in response. “Both of us know that if anyone’s an eligible bachelor here, it’s me.” He said, pointing a thumb at himself. “I mean, look at me. I’m the epitome of beauty.”

“Says the guy who once read a book for twenty hours straight.”

“Hey! It was a really good book,” Neptune huffed. “Besides, intelligence is incredibly sexy. Are you trying to tell me that I’m _not_ attractive?”

Sun’s eyes trailed down Neptune’s figure for a few seconds before returning to his face, seemingly weighing the truth in his words. “Hmm. I think we’ll have to see about that one,” He teased, tapping Neptune’s nose with his tail. “Now come on, Nep. I’m absolutely _starving_. Can’t get rid of this hangover on an empty stomach!” 

“Can’t get rid of _what_?” Neptune replied, bewildered as he watched Sun march away without a care in the world. “Hold on, were you-”

“Nope! I didn’t say anything! Come on, slow poke!” 

The two walked away from the complex, participating in idle conversation about the last week. At one point, Sun attempted to apologize for all of the texts he had sent the night before, but Neptune wasn’t having any of it. It was his own fault for forgetting his phone with Weiss in the first place. Sun was visibly relieved when Neptune made it clear that he wasn’t remotely upset about it, and the rest of their conversation was notably more relaxed.

“Wait, dude,” Sun wrapped his tail around Neptune’s forearm, stopping him just as he was getting into the details of his latest reading assignment. “Let’s cut through the park. It’ll be faster.” He suggested, gesturing to it with a tilt of his head. 

“Will it actually be faster? Or is this an excuse to take the scenic route?”

“Since when do you care?” Sun grinned, pulling Neptune along despite his protests. The blue haired boy was quickly silenced as he took in his surroundings. It was absolutely gorgeous, although that should have been expected, given that it was the middle of spring. Neptune could have sworn that he spotted a flower patch so vibrantly blue that it rivaled the color of his hair. 

Sun didn’t stay on the path, but that was hardly surprising or alarming. Neptune didn’t question it much until he was pulled through a thick mess of brambles and leaves. “Ah- Hey! Sun! What are you doing?!” He yelped, raising his free arm to protect his face. 

“Sorry. Got impatient,” Sun chuckled, watching as Neptune reached up to pull multiple sticks and leaves out of his hair. He gave Sun a very annoyed look, clearly not pleased with the answer. When he was done making sure he didn’t look like an absolute mess, he looked up and took in his surroundings. 

“I don’t see why this was neces...s...ar...y…” Neptune froze, his eyes staring at a small creek roughly thirty feet away from them. It was thirty feet too close, way too close for comfort. “Uh, Sun? Why- Why are we here?” 

“Isn’t it pretty?” Sun hummed happily, paying no attention to Neptune’s demeanor. “Just thought it would be nice to- oh.” He finally looked back at his roommate and frowned. “...Right. Okay, I forgot about that.” 

“How do you _forget about it?_ We’ve been best friends for five years, Sun!” Neptune quietly seethed. “You’re a lifeguard! And I’ve been extremely vocal-”

“Okay, okay, yeah, you’re right. I didn’t think you’d mind that,” Sun flicked his tail towards the intruding stream. “It’s not that big… Really, it’s like a long kitty pool.” 

“I’m not a fan of pools, in case you haven’t noticed.” 

“Yeah… Come on, it’s not that bad. And there’s a bridge. It’s the fastest way through the park, promise.” Sun assured. Neptune didn’t find it reassuring in the slightest. That was how it got to you. It wasn’t going to _seem_ that bad. But it would definitely _be_ bad. The moment he let his guard down was the moment that it would strike. 

Sun seemed to notice his unease, and wrapped his tail around Neptune’s waist in an attempt to comfort him. “Hey. Really. It’s only a few inches deep, and the bridge has a pretty sturdy railing. Plus…” He trailed off, pointing to himself. “Even if you do fall in there, I’m a lifeguard, remember? It’s my job to save people from drowning. Trust me, Neptune. You’ll be perfectly fine.”

“But what if-”

“Neptune,” Sun interrupted him, his tone gently asking Neptune to meet his gaze. “You trust me, right?”

“Of course I do.” Neptune answered immediately. “It’s just-”

“I know.” He nodded. “But I’m here, and I won’t let anything happen to you. Promise.” 

Neptune remained quiet for a few moments, thinking it over. He looked over at the bridge that Sun spoke of. It looked to be in extremely good condition- it’d definitely support their weight, not that he weighed all that much to begin with. And the creek didn’t look _super_ deep… and Sun _was_ a lifeguard… 

“Okay, okay. Fine.” He reluctantly agreed, a small sigh escaping from his lips. “...I guess I have to get over this silly fear at some point. Might as well start now…” 

“That’s the spirit!” Sun chirped, taking his hand and dragging him across the grass so forcefully that Neptune practically fell onto the bridge. He wanted to get across it as quickly as humanly possible, but Sun’s grip on both his waist and his hand prevented him from doing so. 

“You know- if you really wanna start getting over that fear,” Sun began, and Neptune mentally groaned. “We could-”

“No! I am absolutely _not_ going in there!”

“I wasn’t gonna say that,” Sun quickly defended himself, putting a hand up innocently. “I was gonna suggest that maybe we could stay here for a bit. Enjoy the scenery and whatnot.”

“What happened to being starved?” Neptune raised an eyebrow. “I thought you wanted to get to that vacuan place as soon as possible?”

“Weeeell…” Sun trailed off, averting his gaze. “I _might’ve_ exaggerated that a bit… Look, dude, are you gonna stand here with me or not?”

Neptune hesitantly nodded, not quite sure what Sun was playing at. But staying on the bridge a bit longer wouldn’t hurt...probably. 

The two moved to the railing, which Neptune gripped tightly, mentally praying to the gods above that he wouldn’t have to come into contact with a single drop of water. He eyed the shallow depths warily, whereas the faunus beside him watched the fish with some sort of wonder in his eyes. Neptune would never be able to understand how Sun was able to trust the water so completely and willingly. Why wasn’t he afraid? Wasn’t he aware of how dangerous it was?

But he supposed he had to admit that water had some sort of natural appeal. Part of Neptune ached to be closer to it, despite his best efforts to erase that desire from his mind. He wasn’t in a mood to think about it though, and tried to focus on something else. Thankfully, Sun’s tail around his waist was providing a fantastic distraction.

It wasn’t a gesture that was alien to him- Sun had done it countless times, so much so that he almost expected it every time they hung out together. But considering what he planned to do… He wondered if this would be the last time. He wondered what he was going to do to their relationship, and whether things could go back to the way they were afterwards. Hell, he wasn’t even sure he would want them to. Maybe it was better to have Sun a bit uncomfortable for a short period of time than to be silent for god knows how long. He’d been feeling this way for a year already, and it sure as hell wasn’t going anywhere. 

The two had long lapsed into a comfortable silence, and even Neptune had relaxed a bit, his grip having a bit more mercy on the poor railing. He dared to steal a glance over to Sun, finding that he was still studying the calm waters below them. 

_...Now is as good a time as any, right?_

Neptune took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself. He could do this. It was no big deal. He was only gonna reveal a secret he’d been keeping for the last year. Yeah, not a big deal at all! He totally wasn’t terrified out of his mind or anything!

“Dude, I have to tell you something-”

The two stared at each other with a deer-in-the-headlights look, shocked at what had come out of the other's mouth. 

“Oh, you go first-”

“No, it’s okay, you can-”

“I insist! Really, it’s fine-”

“No no it wasn’t that important-”

“I mean I don’t really care anyway,”

“Dude you should say whatever it is,”

“No, no, you spoke first-”

“No I didn’t-”

“You totally did.” 

They stopped, realizing that they weren’t getting anywhere, and erupted in a small fit of laughter. Okay, so they were _both_ clueless dorks that didn’t know how to socialize. Good to know.

“Okay, but really. You go first.” Sun insisted. “Trust me dude, I was gonna say somethin’ stupid anyway.”

“I highly doubt that-”

“C’mon! Just tell me already.” Sun pouted. “You’ve got me really curious, man. You can’t leave me hanging.” 

“I- … Alright,” Neptune grumbled, deciding not to point out the irony of that statement. “I um… I uh, finished my creative writing assignment, that’s all. You know, the poem you caught me writing last week…?”

“Oh…” Neptune could’ve sworn he saw a look of disappointment cross Sun’s face, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. “Yeah. I remember. You want me to read it over or something?”

“Um- Y...Yeah,” Neptune nodded, once, twice, three times. His hands fumbled a bit, brushing Sun’s tail off of his waist so he could reach into his pocket and pull out a piece of paper. “I-I.. I do. If you ... don’t mind?”

“Of course, dude. Hand it over.” 

Neptune bit his lip, hesitantly passing it over and watching anxiously as Sun unfolded it as though it were nothing. He was silent for a few moments, before he decided that he couldn’t do it. There was no way he could sit here and silently watch Sun read such a confession. He would go positively mad. So instead, he did the only thing he could think of, and recited the poem out loud from memory: 

> “Your eyes
> 
> are an ocean,
> 
> full of life, 
> 
> full of wonder,
> 
> and full of danger.
> 
> And yet,
> 
> they call to me
> 
> begging for 
> 
> an answer.
> 
> Your depths
> 
> have captured
> 
> many victims,
> 
> drowning
> 
> the sailors
> 
> who dared to swim.
> 
> I refused
> 
> to repeat
> 
> their mistakes,
> 
> and so
> 
> my heart
> 
> was locked
> 
> for an eternity.
> 
> Your voice
> 
> is a siren’s song,
> 
> sung so perfectly,
> 
> your love a melody
> 
> that I could not get
> 
> out of my mind.
> 
> I tell myself
> 
> that this concert
> 
> can not end
> 
> on a high note,
> 
> But still,
> 
> my heart
> 
> desperately 
> 
> wants to listen
> 
> to your symphony.
> 
> I dared to listen,
> 
> and I heard
> 
> the song I dreaded most:
> 
> That despite the walls
> 
> that guarded my
> 
> best kept secret,
> 
> It would seem
> 
> as though
> 
> the ocean
> 
> has obtained
> 
> the key.”

A long, heavy silence followed, and Neptune hated every second of it. He desperately wanted to look away, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. His eyes were trained on Sun, trying to decipher his unreadable expression. A hand covered his mouth, and Neptune thought he saw tears in the Faunus’ eyes, but he couldn’t be certain. He couldn’t tell what he was thinking or feeling and he absolutely hated it.

“Um- Sun?” Neptune began nervously. “Are you uh, okay? Why are you so quiet?”

Sun finally tore his eyes away from the paper and looked up at Neptune, and for a moment, he looked _vulnerable_. Neptune was a bit taken aback by it, but wasn’t given the opportunity to comment on it as Sun spoke. “Sorry. It’s really pretty. You’re a great poet,” He said, and his gaze dropped yet again. “...I’m sure Jaune will love it, dude.”

“What?”

Neptune couldn’t stop the question from spilling out, his roommate’s answer catching him completely off guard. What was he talking about? _Jaune_? Why would-

Oh. 

Oh … 

While Neptune was occupying himself via meticulous planning and worrying, he had completely forgotten that he told Sun he had a crush on Jaune a week ago. Oh, christ. Of course Sun thought it was for Jaune- He didn’t know any better. Neptune mentally slapped himself for forgetting such an important detail. _Nice going, idiot! You just confessed to your crush and he has no idea you’re talking about him!_

“Sun-” He shook his head, letting out a small chuckle in spite of himself. “You don’t get it.” 

“What do I not get, Neptune?” Sun narrowed his eyes at him, his tone having more of an edge than Neptune would have liked. “I’m not seeing what point I could possibly be missing right now.” 

“... It was _never_ about Jaune, Sun.” 

“Huh?” Sun blinked at him, clearly confused. “What do you mean? You said-”

“Yeah, I know what I said… But none of it was true,” Neptune admitted, his resolve finally breaking. His gaze settled elsewhere, suddenly very interested in the bridge he was standing on. “It’s not about him. I never liked him,”

“...But- but...Why would you lie to me? And if it’s not about him, then… Who-”

“Who do you _think_ it’s about, genius?” Neptune bit his lip, his grip once again tightening around the railing. He fought the urge to run away, god knows it wouldn’t help matters at all. He refused to look at Sun, and it was unbearable. He could only imagine what he was thinking right now. 

“...Oh,” Was all he said. 

At least, it was all he _could_ say, before Neptune filled the air between them with his worries. 

“I’m- I’m sorry,” He began, a bit shakily. “I shouldn’t have… I didn’t mean to um, make you uncomfortable or something. I… I just really , really like you, and I know we’ve been best friends for five years and I probably shouldn’t have said anything, and I’m so sorry for ruining our friendship and honestly if you don’t want to be friends with me that’s totally fine-”

“Nep-”

“-But I _had_ to tell you. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t um, do it anymore, I guess. I haven’t said anything for the last year, and I guess I finally had enough of it, and I figured that you deserved to know, you know? I didn’t really expect you to uh, ever feel the same way or anything, so um, please don’t feel bad… But you’re my best friend, Sun, and I couldn’t keep it from you-” 

“Neptune,” 

“-And I don’t even really know how it happened,” Neptune rambled, the words coming out before he had the thought to stop them, his tone getting increasingly frantic as he continued. “I mean you’re really awesome, and so nice, and supportive, and _god_ you’re incredibly hot and attractive? And uh, there’s a million and one reasons as to why, really. I think it would be easier to list the reasons why I wouldn’t like you... because there aren’t any, haha- wow, that was the absolute cheesiest thing I could have said. By the brothers I should just… stop talking, shouldn’t I-” 

Neptune never got the chance to stop himself though, as a pair of hands tugged his face down and a soft set of lips silenced him. It took him a few seconds for him to actually realize that it was _Sun_ , and he was kissing _Sun_ , and _Oh my god Sun Wukong is kissing me right now??_

When Sun pulled away, Neptune still hadn’t fully comprehended what had happened. His face was flushed a deep shade of crimson, and his mind was absolutely void of any coherent thoughts. _What- What just- He- He did that? To me? Why? Why would he do that? It’s not like he likes me, right? Wait- DOES HE LIKE ME?_

“ _Neptune,_ ” Sun chuckled. “You idiot. I’d never stop being friends with you over something like this. Even if I didn’t feel the exact same way,” He assured, a soft pink tone dusting his face. “I’m really glad you told me. Hell, I was about to tell you myself-”

“Wait, wait, hold on,” Neptune interrupted, furrowing his eyebrows. “You _like_ me?”

“...Isn’t that obvious?” Sun rolled his eyes. “I literally kissed you, Nep. Of course I like you.” 

“Oh. Um. Yeah. I...I guess that would explain…” 

Sun let out another laugh, and Neptune practically melted, the sound so sweet to his ears. “Honestly, I really didn’t think that you’d like me. Much less write an entire poem about me… Which is beyond flattering. “ He paused, backing up a little and casting Neptune with a suspicious look. “I’m keeping it, by the way.”

“That’s fair,” Neptune replied, his mind still hazy and desperately trying to comprehend what was going on. “Um- why did you think I didn’t like you?” He asked. “When did I ever give off the impression…?”

“Maybe when you told me you had a crush on Jaune?”

“...Oh. Right.” 

“And there’s a bunch of other reasons,” Sun shrugged as though it didn’t matter. “Like, you’re known to be a flirt. And I thought you were straight for the longest time. And I’m a faunus. And I’m transgender, and- mmph!” 

It was Sun’s turn to be cut off with a kiss as Neptune pulled the faunus towards him. He decided he didn’t like the ridiculous things coming out of Sun’s mouth, and naturally, he had to kiss him to shut him up. It was only fair considering Sun had done the same thing not a minute before. Unlike that kiss however, Neptune took the time to fully enjoy it, and take advantage of the fact that he caught Sun by surprise. A hand pressed against the small of Sun’s back, urging him closer as though Neptune’s life depended on it. Sun quickly melted into his embrace, his arms snaking around Neptune’s neck, idle fingers playing in the sea of blue hair. 

“Don’t be stupid.” Neptune gently scolded. “I’ve told you a million times, Sun. I don’t care that you’re a faunus. I don’t care that you’re transgender, or if you have this body part or that body part, or whatever. None of that matters to me.” He said pointedly. “It’s not like you chose to be any of those things. You didn’t choose to be born this way or that way, or to have a tail- which, I think is really, _really_ cool, by the way. And neither of those things define you as a person. What matters is what you do, and what you say, and… all that other philosophical nonsense. And honestly? Everything you do, and everything you say, are _perfect_. Perfect in more ways that you know.” 

Sun ducked his head in embarrassment, his face slowly turning a deep shade of red. Neptune loved the sight of it, and he felt the strong urge to kiss him again. What on Remnant gave Sun the right to be so adorable? “I- that’s… uh, _wow_ , Neptune,” Sun wheezed. “You sure know how to make a guy feel special…” 

“Good,” Neptune hummed, leaning down to place another kiss on Sun’s lips. “I _want_ you to feel special.” 

Sun opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to think of something to say. “I- … Uh, How long have you been...you know…” 

“How long have I liked you?”

“Yeah.” 

“...A little over a year now,” Neptune admitted, averting his eyes out of embarrassment. “Um…I tried not to? And it really didn’t work that well.”

“Jesus fuck- A _year_?” Sun stepped back and tilted his head a bit. “Christ, Nep. You should’ve told me sooner. Like...a helluva lot sooner. I’ve been crushing on you for the last four months.” 

“W- Really?!”

“Yep.” 

“Well why didn’t _you_ tell me?!” 

“...I _tried_ . Remember the spring fling? And how you were _literally_ the only person I danced with?” 

“That’s not explicably romantic…” Neptune defended, tugging at the collar of his shirt. “Friends dance with each other all the time. Ruby and Yang danced together…” 

“Or that time you got really sick for a week and I skipped all of my classes just so I could take care of you? And I told you that you were worth failing any class for?”

“Skipping classes isn’t out of the ordinary for you,” Neptune tried weakly. “I wasn’t about to assume…” 

“...Or the time that we _kissed at a party_ and I said you were a phenomenal kisser?” Sun gave him a dubious look, and Neptune opened his mouth to defend himself, but quickly closed it. 

“Okay. That’s fair, I guess. But it was spin the bottle, and um, friends kiss each other all the time…?”

“So what, are we just friends now?” Sun teased. “Geez Nep, here I thought we had an actual connection. But since friends kiss each other _all the time_ …”

“Okay, fine! So maybe I was a little oblivious,” Neptune huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. “I’m sorry! But at least I confessed eventually, right? Better late than never?”

“Eh, I guess so.” Sun shrugged lazily. He looked Neptune up and down again, and it was clear from his expression that he was weighing his next words carefully. Neptune wanted to ask what he was thinking about, but the fear of disencouraging him kept him silent. 

Neither of them said anything for a long while, studying each other with baited breath, as though speaking was a death sentence. An unasked question lingered in Sun’s eyes, and Neptune wondered so desperately what it was. He wondered if it was a question at all, and a small feeling of doubt creeped into his mind. Was Sun having second thoughts already?

“...So...Nep…” Sun said slowly, stepping closer to the blue haired boy again. “I’m um...I’m just, wondering, you know, uh,” He fumbled over his words as though no amount of thought could have prepared him for what he wanted to say. He gave Neptune a meaningful look, pleading with him, begging him to get what he was trying to say. 

“Wondering what?”

“If you’d uh, like to be my boyfriend?” the faunus finally blurted, his face growing redder by the second. “Not that you have to...or anything… if you’re not ready, that’s okay.”

“Oh!” Neptune yelped, caught a little off guard. It wasn’t an unwelcome question though- hell, it wasn’t even a question at all. “Sun- _of course_ I will. I- I’d uh- I’d like that a lot,” He stammered. “I mean… I would sure hope that we could … we did just kind of make out,” 

Sun’s face lit up, and the widest, dorkiest grin spread across his face. Neptune’s heart ached at the sight, and he reached over, clutching the railing for support. God, he wished he could look at it all day. 

“...Yeah, we did.” Sun chuckled, moving to rest his hand on top of Neptune’s. “...Say, how do you feel about doing it again?”

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Neptune grinned. Sun opened his mouth to say something- most likely a witty remark of some kind- but found himself unable to as Neptune quickly leaned in again and captured his lips in another kiss. 

It felt _amazing._ Kissing Sun was something that Neptune could never get enough of, no matter how many times he did it, a song that he could listen to for years on end. Kissing Sun felt natural, like it was what he was meant to do. It may have taken a year of patience and yearning, but it was well worth it, and he would do it all over again if it meant getting another moment like this.

But he wouldn’t have to do that. 

He wouldn’t have to wait, or watch from a distance, or keep all of his crazy thoughts to himself. Not anymore.

Yeah, Neptune could definitely get used to this. 


End file.
